Scars
by Cherokee Bonnefoy-Jones
Summary: Marik and Amane's daughter has never seen her father's back. What happens when they go to the Kaiba's for a swim?


Princess Atemna: Something I thought of while looking at Marik's back. This is gonna take place in the summer when Ayame's six. Not saying anymore. FYI: I call this pairing In-lawshipping.

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It was Ayame's first time swimming with her family, and she was super excited. They were going to her Aunt Kiera's where they had a climate controlled pool room, and had gone with her mom to buy her first swim suit. Her dad and uncles had even agreed to race to see who was fastest. And, knowing how her Uncle Seto was, Tea and Atemna were invited as well. Summer was officially her favorite season. Reasons: No school, she had a summer birthday, she got to stay up later, and she could also spend as much time as she wanted with her parents. Yep, she and the twins were determined to make the most out of this vacation.

Marik Ishtar, on the other hand, was wondering why he'd agreed to the race. It forced him to take off the shirt he was currently wearing. Ryo: fine. Kaiba: fine. Him? Not good. Ayame had never seen him without a shirt and he wanted it to stay like that. The less she knew, the better. Even Amane agreed with him. She'd seen the marks on his back first hand when she went to massage his tense back muscles one day almost seven years ago. No little girl should ever see what was on Marik's back, especially if that little girl was _his _little girl. This was the summer he would want to forget.

When they got down to the Kaiba Mansion, the twins and Atemna were waiting on them. All five had the same idea of racing to the pool room, so they sped off that direction. "Be nice if Ichiro would calm down around the Princess a little," Ishizu commented to her husband. "He'll get over it pretty soon when he gets in junior high. Besides, she's his best friend. What can you do?" he asked without really caring. "What's wrong with you, Marik?" "It's nothing, Ry," the Egyptian told his brother-in-law. The man somehow doubted that, but left things be so they could all get inside to the rest of their family and see Tea.

As always, Tea was doing her best to be happy. Kaiba and Kiera were just comming in with Mokuba and Rebecca right behind them, passing them was more like it, though. "Kaiba's right, odd as that sounds. Those two don't need kids," Marik commented. "Yeah. Gotta agree there." Just then Ichiro, Atemna, and Mokuba jumped into the pool, sending water to splash onto the older Kaibas. Seto's response was to take off his shirt and go in after his brother. He was totally different from when he was growing up. Even Ryo had changed. To prove the point, he pushed his son and wife into the pool before he jumped in himself.

To add to the fun, Atemna had pulled her mom to the pull, both going in at the same time. The twins followed suit with their own mother. Now Ayame was hugging her mom's leg. "Can we go in now too, Daddy?" the lavender eyed girl asked Marik. "Why don't you and Mommy go in first? I'm gonna do something real fast," he told her in a whisper. "Is it gonna make Mommy made at you?" "Dunno. Haven't had the chace to try it out before." Ayame just smiled as she did as her dad asked.

Marik's ingenious plan started the second he stood in front of the diving board and took off his shirt to reveal his tanned chest. He ran onto the diving board and jumped off, plummeting into the ten foot deep water at that end of the pool. The only thought he had as he met water was that Amane would kill him if she survived the heart attack he was about to give her.

He stayed under for a moment, just to make sure they were beginning to worry before he turned onto his back and slowly floated to the suface. "Marik? Marik!" Amane was now beside him as he lay there trying not to laugh. Ishizu was now holding her sister-in-law as she cried. "Marik, I swear to the gods, if this is one of your sick jokes, I'll kill you," his older sister threatened. "Fine, I'll stop." "M-Marik Ishtar, you are a dead man!" his wife yelled at him.

The second the Egyptian lifted himself out of the water, Ayame saw her father's back for the first time. At last saw the engravings put there when he was her age. Everyone was looking at him, or his back, rather. He was planning on running, but he didn't even hear Amane attempt to get out and chase him. Now he, too, realized what was going on. That they could see the scars he tried so hard to hide from the world. And to know that his daughter could see it as well. He just walked over to where his shirt had been discarded and put it back on before walking out and back to their mansion.

"Guys, I'm gonna take Ayame back. We neeed to have a talk." They just let them leave, watching as Amane carried the small white haired girl in her arms while running out. In the mansion, Amane went right to hers and Marik's room where he sat on the queen sized, Egyptian styled bed in his usual khaki cargo pants and purple sleeveless hoodie. Wrapped in a towel, Ayame crawled on the bed next to him, her mother soon joining them. "Daddy, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?" "It's nothing, Ayame." It was obvious that he wanted to avoid the subject as much as possible.

"Marik, we have to tell her. Please, Marik. She's really worried about you." Looking into his little girl's eyes, he saw she was on the verge of tears. " 'Kay. When I was a kid, my dad put this on my back with a hot knife. It has Ra, Obelisk, and Slifer on it. This is actually an anctient text that's been put on the backs of the first born sons in the Ishtar family. It's supposed to be shown to the Nameless Pharaoh so he can learn his true name. This doesn't have to happen anymore since he's now in the Afterlife." "Can I touch it, Daddy?" "Sure. It stopped hurting about when I was 13."

It felt weird, really, to have his daughter trace the cuts in his back, much as it did with her mother. "Grandpa did this?" she asked to make sure that she'd heard right. "Yeah. He was a relly mean guy. You know the marks on Uncle Odion's face? Well, he used to be treated as my servant, so he carved heiroglyphs into his face to show his loyalty to me. Really weird."

After awhile of talking, Ishizu came in with lunch for the three. "Did she understand?" "Yeah. When'd you guys get back anyways?" "Just a moment ago. Seto told us to bring you your share of lunch. Here you go, Ayame." "Thanks, Aunt 'Shizu," she said while taking a burger off the tray. "Amane, are you sure that she's Marik's? She's too sweet to be his." "I resent that! Remember before this crap started? I was a sweet and innocent kid? Does the flower necklace ring any bells?" Just to be mean, Ishizu shook her head.

In the middle of her burger, Ayame had fallen asleep between her parents. "Better get her to bed. Y'know, I'm really glad she took the evil grandpa thing well." "At least she didn't have to put up with him," Marik grumbled while taking the girl to her room. "Night, Mommy. Night, Daddy," she muttered in her sleep as her dad tucked her into bed. "Night kiddo."

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Atemna: That was cute! And the first Amane/Marik fic. Does no one ever consider this as possible?


End file.
